A Martian Abandon
by ssjEasterBunny
Summary: After a lifetime of suppressing emotion, Raven faces a now-or-never decision to confront that enthralling feeling called 'attraction', or possibly lose it forever. A two-shot character exploration of what makes Raven tick. Complete.
1. A Martian Abandon

_Author note: This story is for any Titans fan interested in the team's favorite introvert. It's a character exploration of what makes Raven tick and how she experiences attraction. As such, the plot is _full_ of bonus metaphors, so enjoy reading between the lines!_

_Update: The story has been revised and reposted several times since its original publication. Sentences have been restructured and some conversations have been extended. More critiques are welcome._

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><p><strong>A Martian Abandon<strong>

"To read a mind, you've got to redefine the line to make your circle sing… You make a sound; the spell is bound to come around. It's just a minor thing."

–Anthony Kiedis, _Red Hot Chili Peppers_

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><p><strong>1. Planet Book<strong>

A repulsively familiar reflection stood before Raven in her bedroom mirror, giving new meaning to the name 'four-eyes'. Although the extra eyes had become unexpectedly human in recent months, they were always more than willing to return to their vicious red at the slightest provocation. Fortunately, she'd come a long way in controlling such demonic manifestations. Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact that they existed.

Other features also met her contemplative gaze. A few inches beneath the other-worldly eyes were a set of sharpened teeth, with two that protruded just slightly reminiscent of small fangs. Her lavender hair came to a disheveled length that splayed over her shoulders. A blue cloak concealed the increased muscle tone expressed by the darker half of her hybrid physiology, while her sharp fingernails remained plainly visible. She lifted her hand and examined it directly; the nails were indeed like razors. She then ran the same hand through her hair, which proved to be truly as unruly as it appeared. The mirror was functioning normally.

Since the death of her father and her liberation from her role as his portal, Raven had gained substantial control over her true form. With focus, she could now drop her human features and still generally maintain her personality. But despite her previous fantasies, this had not proven to change very much regarding her emotions. Her power was still difficult to channel, anger was still a liability, and she was still the spitting image of everything one would expect of Trigon's daughter.

She took a breath and restored her human features. Normal teeth covered up the sharp ones and her ragged hairline withdrew up to its original, even length just above her shoulders. Her musculature relaxed and the second set of eyes faded into her forehead without argument, completing her second nature cover-up.

Turning away from the mirror, she walked to the center of the room and hovered off the floor, bringing her legs up to levitate in the lotus position. Although meditation was still important for keeping her emotions in check, in recent weeks Raven had found her resolve weakening somewhat. She had consequently been meditating less frequently and for shorter duration.

Today was a similar case. She hovered in position but didn't seem to feel motivated. Instead, her eyes casually explored the various details of her room: books she had read, potions and other magical materials, and a few photographs and mementos on her bookshelf that hadn't been organized. She didn't consider herself to be sentimental, but nevertheless had opted to hold on to a few snapshots that she'd secretly taken from the team's albums. She sometimes thought of replacing them with more recent photos, but never acted upon it. Her collection wasn't ideal, but it was a familiar sight and at least she knew where everything was.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hey Raven!" Garfield's voice sounded through the door. His enthusiasm rattled the still air of her room. "It's video game night! We're gonna play Drill Breakers. Do you wanna come play?"

In the hallway, Garfield waited until Raven's door slid half way open to reveal a hooded figure standing before him. Her eyes were barely visible beneath the hood's shadow and the rest of her face was expressionless.

A year ago, Raven would have been annoyed by the interruption; the changeling's resolve had always been one of the few that could match her own. But recently, she didn't mind it as much. As the months had passed, her usual desire for solitude had diminished somewhat. Even still, old habits die hard.

"Gar, when have I ever played video games?"

"Oh, right… Well do you wanna just come hang out?"

"I was about to read a book," she deadpanned instinctively.

"So bring your book. It's just the TV room."

She stared with her usual poker face, but Gar didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.

"You're not going to give up, are you?" she asked.

He chuckled, "Heh heh, nope."

Gar was the epitome of persistence. Raven's expression softened and she gave him a subtle smile.

"Fine," she caved. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Sweet!" he exclaimed. "See ya there."

The door closed as Gar ran off to the television room, thus restoring the quiet aura of Raven's bedroom. She turned and walked to her desk, where a book about celestial bodies lay opened to a red and orange sketch of the Martian surface. Rust-colored sand lay atop a panorama of empty desert, with mountains perched on the horizon. For most of her life, images like this one had been an escape from the weight of the death and destruction that she'd been destined to bring to the Earth. The desolate landscape in this sketch was all that most of the universe had ever been; there was nothing to undo or destroy in such places.

Gazing down at the barren landscape, Raven thought about Gar's persistent attempts to reach out to her. Of course, the reason was no mystery because she'd realized some time ago that he'd had something of a crush on her. The reason for _that_, however, was still an enigma.

At first, she'd thought that he was rebounding from Terra, which had irked her and led her to avoid him. When several months had gone by, it started to look like his behavior may have been genuinely for her. At this discovery, Raven had been flattered but dismissive. Anyone who had feelings for Trigon's demoness daughter couldn't possibly be thinking straight. And besides, crushes were fleeting almost by definition. Indulging in that game had to be pointless.

**2. The Setup**

The giant television displayed the Drill Breakers game in all its glory, towering over Dick, Victor, Koriand'r, and Gar as they sat on the floor, cheering and taunting one another. On the screen, four cartoonish characters with drill bits tunneled their way underground, grabbing power-ups and sabotaging one another's efforts to reach the surface. The sounds of button-mashing, explosions, and cries of glory and anguish filled the common room.

Raven had kept her word and sat on the couch behind the others, having brought her celestial hardcover. The racquet made it somewhat difficult to concentrate on the book, but she was nevertheless content to be in the vicinity of her friends. Besides, the sketches were sometimes just as meaningful as the words.

"Hey Raven, want to join us?" Dick's voice caught her attention.

She looked up from her book and assessed the invitation. The game looked childish, she would probably end up in last place, and it was only a four-player game anyway. All of which led her to the same conclusion as usual.

"No thanks," she deadpanned.

Before Raven knew it, a small green garden snake had slithered up the couch, across her lap, and then expanded to become the green-skinned teen sitting immediately adjacent to her.

"Are you _sure_?" he asked with an inviting grin.

She eyed him before responding in her usual monotone.

"That… was weird. And I'm fine with my book."

"Oh! We could be a team! Raven and Beastboy, the Dynamic Diggers." He put an arm around her shoulders and outstretched the other in front of them as if laying out a picture. Raven offered nothing but an arched an eyebrow.

"That's enough, man," Victor intervened, turning around to face Gar and Raven while holding his controller. "The girl ain't interested, and this way I won't feel bad kicking your sorry butt!"

"Alright, alright," Gar conceded. He stood up, and Raven noticed her shoulders feel somewhat bare as Gar reclaimed his arm. She dismissed it.

It was a shame; one more try just may have convinced her to join in. At least with Gar in the game, she wouldn't have been the _only_ one in last place. Instead, she became aware of the distance as the group's fourth player returned to his spot in front of the giant television. Again, she dismissed the observation by turning back to her book and contemplating the sketch of the Martian landscape. Its emptiness was tempting; there didn't seem to be any televisions or video games over there.

However, it soon became boring. A picture in a book was just too far from the real thing. And judging by the Titans' mounting excitement and shouting, her friends appeared to be finishing the current round of their game and would soon be starting another.

"Oh, what the hell," she muttered to herself.

She rose to her feet, wrapped her blue cloak around her front, and walked with light footsteps toward the group. They were playfully taunting one another while selecting new characters, but their banter fell silent when they noticed her arrival.

"_Raven_?" Dick and Gar both asked incredulously.

"I changed my mind," replied the mouth beneath the blue hood.

"Glorious!" Kory levitated with joy, hugging the cloak with more strength than most humans would be able to stand. And far more than Raven could stomach, but she waited it out. "Together, we will bring the booyah to these two _snorgal-glurps_!" She glared at Victor and Dick, who had both been winning quite decisively.

"Yeah, we'll see about that!" Victor smirked.

"Hey, you better watch them, Cyborg," Dick suggested.

"What, so _you_ can take me out? No way!" Both of them busted out in hearty laughter.

Feeling small already, Raven sat on the floor with everyone else and said, "Don't get your hopes up, Star."

"Don't worry about them, Rae." She turned to see Gar crouching next to her and offering his game controller, which she took. He continued, "All the characters have these little drills, and you start off underground. You win by digging your way to the surface before everyone else."

"Sounds simple enough…" she said to herself.

"Yeah, just watch out for the other players 'cuz they can hit you with their drills and mess you up. There's also a bunch of power-ups you can grab, and you can boost with this button…"

"Ugh," Raven moaned, regretting her decision. Gar decided to quit while he was ahead.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine."

"Whatever, let's just start."

"You asked for it!" Victor proclaimed, smashing the start button with far more flare than was necessary or appropriate. "Let the pain begin!"

The game started off simple enough, and the dynamics proved more intuitive than Raven had anticipated. But the others all seemed to have developed rather advanced maneuvers requiring certain finesse with the controller than she simply couldn't match. As she kept her distance from the other players and steered her character toward the surface, she seemed to repeatedly encounter terrain that was apparently tougher to drill through. To top off her frustration, Victor's character came tunneling by with a massive drill and plowed right through her, making her lose the power-ups she'd managed to obtain.

"Dude, cheap shot!" Gar said while he spectated.

"I know, I know," Victor replied halfheartedly while he concentrated on contending with Dick's recent attack.

Raven's game controller became enveloped in a tense field of dark energy as she began to feel more and more incompetent. Her book on the couch now seemed much more interesting and she decided she would just put the controller down before her demonic influence ripped it in half.

But just before she would do so, two green hands placed themselves over hers. The green thumbs manipulated her own thumbs, which in turn worked the controller, and her game character did a slick maneuver that countered Victor's incoming attack and left his character temporarily in pieces.

"Hey!" the bionic man exclaimed.

Raven couldn't help but feel some small pride in stunt in which she'd participated. Following her helper's hands with her eyes, she turned to find Gar kneeling behind her, his chest on her back and his arms reaching around both of her shoulders. What would have otherwise been a profound violation of her personal space was right now a welcome rescue from certain humiliation and insufficiency.

As Gar guided Raven's fingers, her character became much more agile and was able to grab a few power-ups. Her thumbs began to learn the movements. She even made significant headway toward the surface, which ultimately was the win condition. The cloaked girl realized that she may not be destined for last place after all.

"Now go grab that power up," Gar whispered into her ear through her hood. She again became aware of his proximity and his hands over hers, which collectively brought a flushing sensation to her face.

"You mean those sunglasses…" Still monotone.

"Yeah, before Cyborg sees them," he whispered urgently.

"Too late, y'all!" Victor bellowed triumphantly. "Hyper acoustics, baby! I'll be snatching those sunglasses before you get anywhere near 'em!" His character headed straight for the power-up.

"Don't let him!" Dick exclaimed.

"Raven, boost!" Gar shouted.

It was exactly the situation Raven usually avoided: all eyes on her. And yet, she instinctively mimicked one of Gar's moves and her character actually boosted! She reached her objective just before Victor, her character acquiring a pair of cartoony sunglass and a massively enhanced drill.

Her friends gave a cheer of relief, but she wasn't done. She set her sights on Victor's character nearby.

"Hey! No, no…" he panicked as he realized his vulnerability and steered his character away. But Raven's powered up character was too fast and easily overtook Victor's, leaving it in pieces yet again. "No! Aw man…"

"Wow, way to go, Raven," Dick remarked, still focused on the screen. What he heard in response caught everyone off guard.

A quiet but definitive giggle escaped from Raven's hood, like a glitch from a set of speakers. Unable to believe their ears, Dick, Kory, and Victor looked toward Raven only to have their jaws drop to the floor at what they saw. The cloaked was girl sitting between Gar's arms, his hands over hers, and the mouth beneath the hood was very subtly _smiling_. The three Titans stared with wide eyes at the scene. Having unwittingly abandoned their controllers, Dick's and Kory's characters crashed into each other while Victor's drifted irrecoverably off the screen. A few seconds later, Raven's character broke through the surface in an eruption of over-the-top glory.

"Raven, you won!" Gar exclaimed happily.

"I… guess I did," she mused. "Thanks."

She turned around and found herself very closely face to face with him. The flushing sensation was back, and with it, the familiar feeling of being expected to say something. Unfortunately, her usual reaction was too well practiced.

"You're kind of close," she said with averted eyes. Gar took notice of their position and immediately recoiled backward, causing himself to lose balance and ultimately end up on falling on his rear.

"Sorry!" he apologized, holding his hands in front of him. "I was just… I just wanted to—"

"Alright you two love birds," Victor interrupted as he rose to his feet, earning an angry glare from Raven as a light bulb shattered near the back of the room. "If she's gonna play like that, then I'm gonna have to step it up! Y'all get ready for a whole new Cyborg!"

"If that's a challenge, then I accept!" Dick jumped up aggressively. The two stared each other down with flames in their eyes.

"Whatever, let's just start," Raven deadpanned.

Victor again smashed the start button and a new game commenced; this time with Kory standing out so Gar could play. During the first few minutes, everyone was evenly matched. Dick and Gar contended for a power-up, while Victor had a bone to settle with Raven. Kory cheered for Dick and Raven.

The approach of Victor's character was obvious and Raven tried to prepare a counter attack that differed from what she'd done during the previous round. But Victor was two steps ahead and after a quick exchange of their characters' drills, Raven found herself on the losing end.

"Booyah! I knew you wouldn't do the same thing twice!" Victor gloated as his character tunneled away.

"Okay…" was Raven's only response.

But as the round progressed, this proved to be the emerging pattern. She lost several more exchanges with the other Titans, her resolve growing less stable with each offense. A vicious cycle had developed. Always in tune with her emotions, Raven knew that she was becoming agitated. Despite her previous success, she was getting in her own way and just couldn't keep up with the others. The activity suddenly wasn't fun anymore.

The game controller again glowed with a dark ether, which Kory noticed.

"Raven, please do not be upset over the game of drillers," she announced rather publicly. "There is always the next round."

There was no reply, but Dick glanced over and noticed Raven's game controller taking a different kind of abuse. He paused the game just as her character's drill broke into pieces.

"Hey, it's okay if you don't want to play, Raven," he tried to console her. "It's not worth getting upset over. I'm really glad you played at all."

Raven took a breath as the game came to a halt. She placed the controller on the floor and tried to calm herself under the eyes of all her friends. "I don't know about you, but I don't enjoy looking like a fool," she said from within her hood, with tension behind her voice. "I shouldn't have listened to Gar. I'm going back to my book."

"Nobody thinks you look like a fool…" Dick attempted.

"And you looked pretty happy when the grass stain was showin' you the ropes—" Victor added but was cut off.

"No, I never should have listened. Now I'm aggravated," Raven tried to contain her inner demon, but failed: "It was a stupid idea like all his others!" she erupted.

The demon surfaced for just one devastating second, and silence struck the room. Gar, Kory, Dick, and Victor stared at Raven without saying anything, and her eyes focused on the floor to avoid their gaze. She immediately regretted her words, and made no attempt to prevent an electric-looking obsidian bolt from lashing out and shattering the giant television. Then the silence continued.

"I'm sorry," she said, a little less monotone than usual. "I didn't mean that." She pulled her hood further forward but could not shake the feel of their scanning eyes.

Dick attempted damage control. "I hope we haven't been making you uncomfortable. Maybe we could all do something else…"

"No, it isn't you," she replied distantly. It was quite clear to her who the real problem was, but there was no way to articulate it. "It's… I just…" Starting the sentence proved to be no help in finishing it.

She turned slightly toward Gar, and found herself making eye contact with him. His face conveyed both confusion and disappointment, repelling her gaze back to the ground. Everyone was looking at her and she had no idea what to say. She wished they would just start playing their video game again.

"Just never mind," she said, her monotone turning defensive. "I overreacted, that's all." With that, she became concealed in her characteristic dark aura, rose swiftly off the floor, and escaped through the ceiling. The remaining four Titans remained silent for a few moments.

"Well _that_ worked out well," Victor muttered.

"Yeah well no offense, but maybe you ought to be more careful about pissing Raven off. When does that _ever_ turn out well?" Gar replied.

"Good point…" Victor admitted, rising to his feet.

"Never mind it," Dick said with an irritated tone, also standing and heading toward the shattered screen. "Let's just get to work on this television."

**3. Confrontation**

The hallways weren't long enough for Gar as he walked through their corridors. After years of push and pull with the demoness, their game seemed to have finally come to a head and now they would decide what it actually was. But for the first time, he was afraid of what he knew she would say, and wasn't sure if he'd come bouncing back afterward. Every turn of the route seemed to come far too quickly.

When they'd been in the common room, having his arms around her and hearing the sound of her laugh had rekindled feelings he'd thought were long since passed. But that euphoria he'd felt ten minutes ago now seemed a distant memory. He wished he could take the whole gamble back and put them both at their previous checkpoint.

Now he was at her door. Once he would enter, things would be different when he came out. He took a breath and gave one knock. There was no response.

His raspy voice spoke through the door, "Rae, we need to talk."

There was still no answer.

"Come on, you know I'm not gonna leave."

More time went by. Then the door slid open, revealing a hooded girl with pale skin standing in the doorway. Her eyes were concealed but her cheeks appeared moist and flushed, and her blue cloak failed to mask her weakened frame and slumped shoulders. There was no monotone remark. Raven looked at him, then turned and walked back into her room. Uncomfortable already, Gar followed and the door slid closed behind them.

His eyes explored his surroundings while he took small, ambivalent steps. This room was dimmer and more compartmentalized than was his own. Raven sat in a chair facing her desk, on which lay her usual book with newly dampened pages. Gar stood captively as time slowed down, playing tricks on them both. The air between them grew thicker until he felt that he couldn't put it off any longer.

"What happened, Raven?"

She continued to look blankly at her desk while she quietly replied, "I told you, I overreacted."

Gar's own gaze found its way to the floor as he prepared his next words. "Yeah, well… maybe you didn't." He waited, offering her a chance to correct him, but silence was her only response.

He looked up but saw only the lavender hair on the back of her head, which offered him no help. Still, he pushed on.

"I thought if I kept trying then, I don't know, maybe you'd warm up to me. But I guess…" As he paused, Raven watched the wall in front of her, waiting for him to finish but offering no contribution. Talking to the back of her head, he sighed, "But I guess this isn't working."

Her head didn't move.

Again Gar waited, hoping for a rebuttal that wasn't coming. The silence was painful; even a sarcastic 'I told you so' wouldn't have left him so stranded. Instead, there was only the tension that threatened to rip them apart.

"Alright then," he conceded defeat, starting toward the door. "I'll try to leave you alone from now on…"

"Gar," Raven choked. It came out like a weak rasp, as involuntary as the obsidian outburst that went lashing across the room and struck her book shelves. He stopped midstep while the shelves gave way and her books, magical paraphernalia, and mementos all came collapsing to a heap on the floor.

And now it was she who was stranded. Absolutely no words came to her aid and her heart quickly started to pound. The changeling's ears perked and she knew he could hear the thumping in her chest.

Gar watched pokerfaced as Raven pulled back her hood, revealing watery eyes that targeted him between her lavender locks. She glanced at her felled book shelves, and then looked back toward him and stood up. She had to say _something_.

"Gar, I know you used to have feelings for me." Okay, that wasn't so bad. Next, she felt she should come clean. "And I know… I know I avoided you because of it."

His expression turned stoic. It wasn't what he'd wanted to hear and he wouldn't dignify it with a response. Raven mentally kicked herself. Every book she'd ever read had lied about how difficult this was.

But it was too late to give up now. She tried more directly, "Do you still feel that way about me?" This one came out like an accusation and she cursed herself again.

"What do you think," he replied defensively. "You're the mind reader."

His tone wasn't helping, but she didn't blame him. In any case, nothing was coming out right and the moment was slipping through her fingers. Retreating from his eye contact, she turned and focused on that same page from her book. The auburn landscape was again a welcome escape.

And then something occurred to her. It was absurd in every sense of the word, but that was no longer a relevant consideration. Any plan was something. Raven took a deep breath, and then started walking with light steps toward the changeling near her door.

As she approached, Gar's eyes couldn't help but take her in. Even in her dejected state—or maybe especially in this state—she was a one of a kind beauty. Her violet irides were unlike anyone else's and they had him falling for her by the second. He wished that she would just reject him more quickly and be done with it.

She stopped in front of him, and he was taken aback as she took his hand in hers and slid off his signature Doom Patrol glove. The battle-scarred material dropped to the floor, and her delicate fingers grasped him where it had been.

"Raven…" Gar began to ask but trailed off. Her expression was one he'd never seen before—not her usual apathy, but rather the tranquility of a peaceful abandon.

"Just stay calm," she replied, her voice now smooth and relaxed. "I've got you."

"You've got me?" Now he was confused. What the hell was going on?

Rather than respond, Raven closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. There was no turning back.

As she exhaled, her black energy faded into view and enveloped both of them in a flowing blackness. Gar watched as the room turned dark around them. Although this wasn't his first time traveling by this method, there was always something unnerving about it. She held his hand tighter as their surroundings disappeared entirely. And then they were in… nothing.

Within a few moments, the sense of gravity returned as they could feel themselves standing on solid ground. But this proved to be the only familiar feeling they would experience when their new surroundings came into view. Gar gasped as he realized where they were.

**4. Abandon**

A silent, desolate landscape of rust-colored dirt and rocks surrounded them and extended as far as the eye could see. The rough terrain was covered in scars and debris from a lifetime of abuse from the cosmos. Several hundred yards away, a giant fissure had opened in the ground and extended far into the horizon. In the distance, vertical ledges were peppered onto the horizon, contrary to their abundance suggested by Raven's book. The sky was mostly brown, but was illuminated to a deep red near the rising sun.

Raven's aura had faded but did not disappear entirely, instead simmering serenely just over their skin as a barrier to the outside world. The two visitors felt nearly weightless, like their feet were barely touching the ground. The mass effect of the wind felt light and airless.

Gar repeatedly turned this direction and that, utterly unable to process the sensory overload. He opened his mouth to ask a thousand questions—or formulate even one—but his vocal cords failed to produce any sound. There didn't seem to be sufficient atmosphere between them to carry words, which added to the alien feel of this world.

As he looked around, he felt Raven's other hand grasp his side firmly. He instinctively turned to face her, and was stunned when she immediately pulled their bodies together and boldly pressed her lips onto his.

The vast panorama quickly fell to the background, as Gar's attention focused quite fixedly onto the supposed demoness. Contrary to anything he would have intuited, the feel of Raven's embrace on his lips was… warm. The softness of her kiss and the heat radiating from her blushing face made her feel more human and alive than his heightened senses had ever detected. Subtle twitches of her eyelids betrayed traces of insecurity, even if she was beyond acting upon them. The dark ether flared ecstatically like flames, causing her lavender hair to gust in the artificial breeze.

Giving up on understanding anything that was happening, Gar relaxed and surrendered to this unexpected interpretation of his wildest fantasy. As he returned her kiss, he wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her securely into him. Raven's twitching eyelids settled as she gave in to her abandon and allowed herself to melt into him. Who could have guessed that her curves would fit so perfectly in his grasp?

The two separated, and a few seconds later, the pitch black flares returned to their previously calm glow over their skin. Each remained absorbed in the moment, simultaneously at peace and full of awe for the experience they had just shared.

The heroes' eye contact was short lived as the Martian landscape faded briskly from view and they again entered the dark void of that other-worldly conduit. During their transit, Raven swam in a cocktail of adrenaline, liberation, and self consciousness, while Gar pinched his own face to determine whether a dream had traversed into reality or vice versa.

Their feet touched solid ground, and they were back in Raven's room. The desk, bed, and broken book shelves were all exactly as they'd been left. The protective field faded away, and they released each other's hands as they settled back into their usual reality.

Snapping out of his euphoria, Gar's mind was quickly bombarded with a barrage of questions. And he was going to get some answers…

"Were we just—" He interrupted himself, "I mean, you—So this whole time—Wait, did you know that would—How long did you—" Alas, words had failed the changeling yet again. Without having completed a single question, he slumped his shoulders in defeat and gave a frustrated sigh. With an exasperated expression, he decided to just stop talking and wait for her to explain.

Neither spoke for a good thirty seconds, until Raven's apathetic deadpan tone rose to the occasion: "Well, what?"

"'What'?" Gar replied. "You kissed me!"

Raven's face heated up but she maintained her composure. "What was I supposed to do? Ask you out on a date?"

"Well yea—" He remembered this was Raven. "Oh, right."

Raven's hand reached instinctively for her hood, but she didn't pull it up and sufficed to uneasily fiddle with the loose material over her shoulder. In retrospect, that kiss now seemed a lot easier than getting out the explanation she owed him.

Taking a deep breath, she confessed, "I know this is strange coming from me. It's difficult for me to get close to someone like this. After today's… incident, you can see why people prefer to just give me space…" Her eyes averted, turning to watch her own fingers twirl her hood. "Especially when they know what I am."

Gar held back his reassurances.

Treading away from the 'demoness' point, Raven continued, "But for some reason, you've never given up on me, even on the small things. You actually want me for _everything_ I am. And I guess I like that…" Her entire body was burning up inside her cloak and she gazed at the floor as she finished, "…a lot."

A few seconds of silence allowed the weight of those words to settle into place. Raven had been right; it _was_ weird coming from her.

"Wow," Gar mused. He grinned as he scratched the back of his head and added, "And here I thought you could only take me in small doses. But I shoulda known that deep down, you actually like my jokes!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Don't get carried away."

Gar laughed and Raven showed a small smile, which lasted for a few moments and then faded.

"So… Is this gonna happen?" she asked cautiously, her head lowered slightly as she looked at the green teen.

He looked at her, unable to believe his luck in receiving this proposition from Raven, of all girls. The definition of 'the unattainable' stood before him in all her enigmatic beauty, asking _him_ for something more than friendship. But his time spent reveling the moment was selfish and he decided to finally put the gray girl out of her misery.

"Yeah," he replied with a genuine smile. Her eyes followed him as he stepped forward and put his arms around her waist, and said, "It's gonna happen."

In a motion that admittedly felt strange doing with Raven, Gar leaned in close to her lips and waited for her to close the remaining distance, which she did without hesitation. Her heart did backflips, and it turned out that they didn't need an interplanetary jump to enjoy one another's embrace; this earthly location served just fine.

They came apart and both succumbed to involuntary grins that even the usually-impassive demoness was unable to suppress. Although there was no dark aura to be seen, Raven's powers radiated intensely and caused both her and Gar's hair to stand on end. She caught Gar taking in her smile and blushed from her uncharacteristic appearance.

"Wow Rae, excited much? Your fangs are showing," he chided.

Her elation disappeared and she instinctively turned away, covering her mouth with her hand and hastening to restore her human teeth. "Sorry…" Her monotone was back and she looked away.

"Sorry for what?"

She turned back to him and asked, "It doesn't bother you?"

"Nah, look who you're talking to!" he gestured toward himself. Then, scratching his head again, he cautiously added, "It's uh… it's actually kinda hot."

A smaller, more subtle smile returned as Raven's anxiety dissipated. She replied musingly, "I see… I'll remember that." Now it was Gar's turn to blush.

They stood for another minute, and then Raven stepped back and collected herself, sweeping stray hairs from her face and wrapping her cloak around her body.

"I should probably help the others with the television. I sort of… shattered it."

"Heh heh, oh yeah," Gar replied. Then his expression turned to panic: "Hey, wait! Now what am I gonna play my games on? Oh man, Robin hates it when I use the main computer monitor…"

Raven rolled her eyes and then started toward the door. Gar realized his faux pas and stammered, "I mean, uh… who needs TV anyway?" Regaining his composure, he followed her to the door and asked, "So I guess you wanna keep this a secret?"

They stopped at the entryway and Raven thought for a moment. Then she replied, "There's no point in hiding it. They would find out eventually, anyway." After she finished, she offered her hand from her blue cloak.

Gar stared incredulously for a moment, before taking it and asking, "Really? You're saying you_ want_ to tell them?"

"What?" Raven replied, her flat sarcasm making a resurgence: "I just kissed a boy twice. Can't I brag a little?"

"Hey, deny it all you want, but we both know you liked it," the changeling chuckled, earning him an instinctive glare from the demoness.

In a moment, her expression softened and was replaced by a slightly playful smirk. "Watch it, my powers still have it in for you…" Gar gulped, and Raven smiled triumphantly as she turned to lead him by the hand out of her room. As they started to walk, Gar simply laughed it off. He was too elated to feel anything else.

The door swooshed closed behind them as the two started toward the common room, where the other Titans were working on the giant shattered television. This was going to be an interesting story.

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><p><em>Author note: I tried to make the characters both human and true to the show. Comments and constructive criticism (that is to say, <em>_**reviews!**__) would be __**GREATLY appreciated**__. Be as broad or specific as you want._

_Thanks to Dylan for his prepublication comments and TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne for motivating me to write this story after years of fanfiction dormancy._


	2. Connections

_Author note: Thanks so much for all the glowing reviews! (Head inflation commencing) Everyone's input has been accounted for and worked into both chapters._

_The priority has been to keep all of the Titans completely in character—especially Raven and Garfield. However, note that I've intentionally placed them in scenarios outside of their normal elements, to see how they react (sort of a scientific approach). There's also quite a bit of writing experimentation in this one; where's the fun without a few risks?_

_Without further delay, the second half of our exploration:_

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><p><strong>Connections<strong>

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><p>"To re-adjust, you've got to trust that all the fuss is just a minor thing."<p>

–Anthony Kiedis, _Red Hot Chili Peppers_

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><p><strong>1. Slice Economics<strong>

"I still can't believe you two are dating," Victor commented as he finished his pizza and snatched one of the three remaining slices. The sun beat down on the Titans on the roof of their favorite triangle-shaped pizza joint. The tin man reached over the table and adjusted the umbrella to center the shade over himself, exposing Raven and Kory on the other side of the table. The Tamaranian basked in the sunlight, while the demoness looked somewhat less pleased.

"It's not like we've gone out on actual _dates_," Gar corrected, shuffling toward Victor in order to partake in the umbrella's shade. He took another slice from the dwindling pie—while Dick and Kory both eyed the remaining slice—and said, "It's kinda just a… thing."

"How romantic…" Raven droned, squinting against the sunlight.

"But still," Dick chimed in, beginning to reach for the last slice. "It's surprising—er, uh, great—that you're in a relationship." He was having difficulty reaching toward the slice, and looked down to find Kory's hand innocently holding his arm back while she worked on her own slice. "Uh Star, I want to grab that slice."

The group split into two conversations as Victor continued, "And who woulda known you'd be smoochin with the grass stain."

"Dude I'm sitting right here!" Gar exclaimed in mild outrage.

"But I am nearly finished with mine," Kory replied ingenuously to Dick.

"Okay, but I'm _already_ finished with my pizza," Dick attempted to reason.

Raven replied dryly to Victor, "Believe it or not, I did what I did because I actually like 'the grass stain'. Even if he does drive me crazy." She glanced at Gar and then back to Victor. "And it's been a week now, so get over it."

Kory countered Dick, "It was my impression that on this planet, the male is supposed to yield limited resources to the female. I believe the saying is, 'ladies first'?"

Raven muttered, "'Chivalry is dead' is more like it." She looked accusingly at Gar, who stopped mid-chew and looked back at her sheepishly. He motioned to offer his partially-eaten slice covered in bite marks, but Raven was underwhelmed as usual: "Pass."

"Fine, take it," Dick conceded with an exasperated sigh. "But I get the last slice next time."

Kory happily grabbed the last slice and doused it in mustard. As the greasy cheese drowned in yellow sauce, the table's empath could feel Dick's, Victor's, and Gar's hearts sink as if something great had just been put to death. The team sat quietly while Kory, Victor, and Gar finished their food and Dick's stomach growled in defeat.

The team exited the pizzeria to walk back to the T-car, with Dick, Kory, and Victor leading the front of the pack while discussing some new tech for the tower. Gar and Raven trailed behind the others, with Gar trying to convince her that his comics did indeed measure up to the writings in her books. His arguments were ridiculous, but Raven nevertheless participated in the conversation, probably out of simple amusement.

"I'm telling you, they're not just comics!" he attempted as they walked. "They're _graphic novels_ and they can be just as detailed as your books."

"I'd be more inclined to believe you if you'd ever actually read a real novel."

"But they're so… ugh, I guess I could _try_ one… _If_ you'll read one of my comics."

"I thought they were 'graphic novels'…" she quipped with knowing smirk.

"You know what I mean!" he flustered.

Raven glanced at him for a moment as if pondering, and replied, "Deal. You read one of mine and then I'll read one of yours." Of course, she had no intention of reading any comics, but Gar would have to deal with that when the time came—which itself was doubtful because her books required weeks of reading. He'd surely grow tired of them and give up long before that point.

"You got it," Gar confirmed. "Just don't give me one of those boring, sappy ones." Looking to his left, he smiled at the profile view of his new girlfriend. Her dark purple hair swayed slightly over her shoulders as she walked, and the faintest remnants of her previous smirk remained as a slight smile—albeit a _very_ slight smile. He said quietly so the others wouldn't hear, "You're really pretty, Rae."

Her face faltered from the unexpected sentiment, and she wanted to look back at him but couldn't bring her eyes to look anywhere but forward. What was she supposed to say? 'Thanks'? How typical of her, she thought; unable to process even the slightest bit of affection.

"You okay?" he asked, noticing her disoriented expression.

She snapped out of it and replied, "Yes, sorry. I'm just… surprised you can see me like that."

"It's easy." Gar grinned to lighten the mood.

Without much thought, he reached out and took her hand, taking in the feel of her pale skin and the body heat radiating from her palm. However, it was a strange sensation for Raven, as if their intimacy last week had actually been ages ago and she'd forgotten how to do it. She looked awkwardly at their hands. She truly did enjoy his touch, and yet the thought of expressing this was somehow beyond her. How could Gar do this so freely without feeling the nagging pressure that she did?

Seeing her violet eyes staring dispassionately, Gar frowned and let go of her hand—it was only then that Raven realized she hadn't even bothered to return his grip.

"I guess you don't like holding hands," Gar said dryly, turning away. He attempted a neutral tone, but the empath could sense restrained irritation pouring off of him.

"It's not my thing," she droned automatically, but then kicked herself for not being more sensitive. Gar was supposed to be the immature one who ruined precious moments, not her.

"I guess," he sighed.

The two walked along the sidewalk in silence, still trailing about ten meters behind the other Titans. Gar's eyes looked steadily forward in defiance, while Raven's focused downward at her alternating feet. Unable to bear any further awkward interaction, they walked as two separate individuals—their footsteps almost deliberately out of sync.

As the T-car came into view, the silence was broken by the sudden, blaring ringing of their five communicators. Everybody instinctively grabbed their devices to assess the disturbance, but it was Dick who gave the verdict:

"Trouble."

**2. Flash Point**

Trouble's name today was Dr. Light, and Gar would only remember the ensuing battle as fragmented memories. The beginning of the fight remained slightly clearer to him, while the latter existed only as brief, scattered glimpses.

His earliest memory was just after the fireworks first started. Dr. Light had thrown his usual arsenal at them, breaking out his lasers and electrified whips right away. The Titans evaded most of his attacks and mainly retaliated with their own long-range techniques. The strategy with Dr. Light was to always keep moving, and it was working fairly well. His yellow force field protected him from most of their attacks, but Victor eventually managed to catch him off guard with his sonic blaster. Gar had followed through in the form of a green ram, delivering a headbutt to the recovering villain that sent him tumbling backwards.

It was then that things began to deviate from the usual routine. As the doctor rose back to his feet, the light source at the center of his armor glowed and Gar's animal senses detected some sort of accumulating pressure, as if something were charging up. Growing angry, Dr. Light set his sights on the changeling and a moment later, a sharp blast erupted from his chest piece resembling a lightning bolt. Gar's heightened instincts allowed him to narrowly avoid the attack by immediately taking the form of a small bird that was out of its path, but the bolt continued onward to land a direct hit on an unsuspecting Tamaranian. Kory screamed in agony as the lightning fed into her body for nearly three long seconds, after which she collapsed to the ground as sparks lingered at her extremities.

It was actually a good thing that Kory had been the first one to get hit, since she was probably the only Titan who could take a lighting strike and still get back up. Even so, Dr. Light's new ability to attack with lightning bolts changed everything, and it is here that Gar's memory becomes fragmented…

He remembers running a perimeter as a cheetah, dodging electric whips before reverting to his human form. Explosions are ringing out from Victor's cannon and Dick's projectiles, and there is the sound of twisting metal as Raven uproots street lamps and traffic signs. Dr. Light is getting reckless. Gar plans his next move, when Dick shouts something frantically to him, and then the memory sharply cuts off.

The next experience is foggy—the sensation of someone's hands rolling him onto his back. He's on the ground and vaguely feels like he isn't breathing. Explosions still ring out. As Gar's head falls limply to the side, he sees the blurred image of Victor's back to him. He is shouting urgently over his shoulder—something about "cover fire". There are more hands on him, and then the image fades to black.

Gar's eyes open again, slightly. He's still on his back with his head facing sideways, and the battle is still going on but time has passed. The ground and buildings are now littered with scorch marks. He feels hypoxic, like his chest has been crushed and isn't moving any air or blood. Victor is still next to him and facing the other way, except now he is covered with slash marks and patches of melted metal. Dick's battle cries are ferocious, and Gar can barely make out the image of the Boy Wonder in close-quarters combat with Dr. Light. Someone's hands are still on him, but he can't turn his head to look. The attempt causes him to black out again.

He's in the T-car, laid out across the back seat. Now his head is facing upward, limiting his sight to the roof of the vehicle and a restricted view of a blue cloak at the bottom of his visual field. The cabin is full of energy. He can feel the street passing under him extremely quickly; for some reason, they're driving very fast. Victor is repeating "hang in there" over and over again, while Dick's voice is saying medical-sounding things… Who are they talking about? Gar's eyes close and he has the foggy wonder if someone is hurt.

Hands are still on his chest, which feels noncompliant and painfully congested. A weak cough comes to the surface. It feels like it's tearing through his thorax, and everything is black again.

**3. Language**

Gar shifted to and fro atop his bed, searching for a position that didn't aggravate his chest wound any further. The damage had already come a long way in healing, but the flesh still ached under its own tension and although it was bearable, it was also quite annoying. He made a mental note to be more careful the next time he faced off against Dr. Light.

The ironically dimwitted villain was far from a criminal mastermind, but he did have impressive tech and enough luck to land an intense, fully charged lightning bolt straight into the changeling's sternum. Gar's most coherent memory afterward was waking up in the Titans' infirmary, with Raven performing her healing magic and Victor working at several diagnostic monitors. He was later told that he'd been on the brink of death, and would have actually bit it if the demoness hadn't been on him so quickly. Her healing on the scene had managed to barely halt his otherwise rapid decline (while an enraged Kory let loose on Dr. Light), and she had continued her magic nonstop until he'd regained consciousness.

The other Titans regaled him with a full account of what had happened during his interim, but as he lay on his bed, the only image Gar replayed in his mind was that of Raven standing over him as he awoke. Despite her obvious exhaustion from holding her magic for so long, her violet eyes looked down at him with concern as if he were the only thing that mattered. What a feeling to have such a beautiful girl look at him like that… it made his insides flutter just remembering it.

Of course, given the drastic circumstance, a look of such concern would not have been so remarkable had it come from any of the other Titans. But what he and Raven had was now something else entirely, and it had become apparent that she was very much out of her element. Maybe it was a stubborn attempt to hold onto her established self-image; even holding hands seemed to make her uncomfortable, Gar remembered, and damned if she ever initiated anything herself. It was frustrating to say the least, and was starting to put tension on their still-young relationship.

But apparently, for all her pride, even Raven couldn't mask her concern for the green teen this afternoon. He smiled to himself as the image played through his mind yet again.

Gar's door swooshed open, and he glanced over to see the object of his affection enter quietly before seeing that he was awake.

"Well you seem back to your chirpy self," Raven commented, walking over to him.

"Just thinkin' about you, babe," he grinned.

Raven's expression seemed torn between flattery and frustration, and she replied with some irritation, "Gar, you know I don't know what to say to that."

Gar's pointy ears drooped a little. "Relax Rae, I wasn't looking for you to say anything." He decided to take a risk by holding eye contact while he continued, "It's just that... you know... I almost died out there. It's strange being so close to death… but it was really great seeing you when I came back."

Raven may have otherwise shrugged off his compliment, but this time a small smile forced its way to the surface as she returned his gaze. Arriving at his side, she sat next to him on his bed—her weight on the mattress causing Gar's body to shift toward leftward and his face to wince from the pain in his chest.

"I should be able to finish healing you now. Once you woke up, I was pretty drained and had to stop for a while."

"Sure you did…" he feigned disbelief. "I'll bet you just wanted me to be waiting up for ya."

"Right, that sounds like me," the demoness deflected, rolling her eyes as she placed her left hand over his wound to resume her healing technique.

The room became quiet while Raven's hand poured magical energy into Gar's chest. Minutes went by, during which neither spoke. Raven focused while Gar lay back with his eyes closed. In the silence, her mind wandered. She thought about their Martian escape a week earlier, still amazed at the resolve she'd worked up to take such initiative. After all their years of bickering, who knew that she would have been the one to pursue him?

She'd figured that would have been the hardest part, but now they were 'together' and so many things weren't any easier. Stealing an unseen look at Gar's relaxed face, her own expression softened. The thought of almost losing him today stung more than she'd ever admit… which was probably the problem. Caring was one thing, but affection was something completely alien to her. He'd almost died, and all she knew how to do afterward was stare awkwardly like she always did. What was she thinking, starting a relationship when she had no idea how to participate? It was too engrained in her to diffuse his jokes and compliments; to create distance rather than close it. Ugh, how had she managed to do this right the first time?

"That feels good, Raven…" Gar muttered weakly under his breath, offsetting the rhythm of her thoughts.

Taken aback for a moment, the chromatically challenged girl watched his expression curiously. He hadn't spoken to her with that tone—that sense of awe—since she'd first kissed him. As undeserved as it felt, it was nevertheless a good feeling. At least she must have been doing _something_ right.

She continued to watch him as he sank into his bed under her magic. He looked so content, and Raven wondered if he could feel her gaze on him, despite his closed eyes. His guard was completely down and he seemed to have surrendered himself to her in that moment. It was unlike her, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat content herself.

After a short time, Gar's wound had fully recovered and Raven ceased her technique.

"There," she said, breaking the silence with her usual monotone. "You should be back to normal."

Gar opened his eyes and replied, "Wow, it feels completely healed. Thanks Rae."

As their eyes met, both found they had no desire to move from their position; that mysterious, unseen force was at work again. After a moment, Gar felt a light sensation moving along his chest. He looked and found Raven's hand still in place, her pale fingers drifting over his green skin. Raven's eyes also turned, but for some reason, she didn't recoil her hand. Some deeper part of her didn't want to relinquish the faint but electrifying feel of Gar's bare chest on the pads of her fingers. As her fingertips danced over his skin, both of their breaths slowed to a crawl and their eyes transfixed on the point of contact.

So this is intimacy, Raven thought as she watched intently. It was as if this simple touch had allowed them to flow freely into one another, making everything else part of a distant, irrelevant background.

She started to move her hand down his midline, her fingers grazing over his lean abdominal muscles. It was the first time she'd felt anyone like this. The contours of his musculature triggered a reflexive obsidian spark that jolted from her fingers through each of their bodies, causing their breaths to stutter and their muscles to tense for just an instant. She lingered near his navel, and then ran her fingers smoothly up to his sternum, her light touches revving up his nervous system and sending tingles radiating from each movement.

"Raven…" he murmured breathlessly, causing her to look back at his face.

It was that tone again—the one of amazement, or maybe of connection. Whatever it was, it flowed completely through her, drawing her in like a force of gravity. _Strong _gravity.

The next thing Gar knew, Raven had leaned in and was now hovering centimeters over his face. Her warm breaths and the finer details of her radioactive irides were immediately mesmerizing. He hadn't seen this look in her eyes since the last time she was about to kiss him, which meant it was definitely a very welcome look.

Picking up on his cue, the changeling lifted his arms and used both hands on her head to eagerly pull her lips onto his. The sudden eruption of passion and contact sent the demoness' powers into a torrent through her body; a shockwave rippled through her, causing her supporting arm to weaken momentarily. After a week of awkward interactions, their kiss was immediately intoxicating. Gar buried his fingers into her lavender hair, to which she instinctively inhaled sharply, stealing the air from his lungs. Behind her head, he grasped her hair firmly with both hands, and she melted under his grip. A small part of her wondered how she'd allowed her guard to drop so low; despite her impenetrably strong will, this boy's touch had somehow reduced her to warm putty in his hands.

Considering how unusual it was for Raven to relinquish this much control, Gar wasn't about to let the opportunity pass by. He pressed his entire mouth onto hers, taking in her taste and enjoying the feel of her soft lips. Then, he decided to take an even bigger risk than a lightning bolt to the chest: holding her head in place, he ran his tongue quickly along her lower lip, and then braced for his likely punishment.

Raven's eyes opened at the unexpected moist sensation on her lip, sending chills radiating across the corners of her mouth. She knew she should have killed him for it, but was instead surprised when an approving moan rumbled from her vocal cords. Gar grinned and Raven blushed from her involuntary display, but she wouldn't let him keep the victory. Moving her hand from his chest to the back of his head, she gripped his dark green hair and pulled his lips back onto hers. Rather than simply return the favor, she closed her eyes and pushed her tongue all the way into Gar's mouth—earning an unprepared gasp in response. They played tongue games for several seconds, until eventually stopping to catch their breaths. As they separated, Raven lingered with their lips just barely touching, and Gar felt a tooth rub unexpectedly against his lower lip.

As they came apart, he opened to his eyes to find Raven looking back at him, locks of her newly disheveled hair draped along his face. Two small, feminine-looking fangs protruded beyond the girl's regular teeth. Gar's eyes widened for a moment before he broke into a grin and looked back to her eyes.

"I was right, the fangs _are_ hot," Gar said between breaths. He could still taste her in his mouth and added, "I can't believe you did all that."

"You were asking for it," Raven replied flatly but with a small smile of her own, as the fangs returned to her usual canine teeth.

"Heh, yeah… I did think you might kill me at one point," he confessed, only half-jokingly.

"I still might," she corrected with narrowed eyes, "if you tell anyone about this."

He grinned again and teased, "Oh, you mean about how you totally melted and started moaning…"

Raven blushed again at the memory, but held strong and countered, "Funny, I remember you making some interesting sounds way before that happened…"

"Yeah, well…" Gar searched unsuccessfully for a defense, before yielding the last word to the girl.

After a few quiet moments, Raven's palm again landed gently—almost timidly—on Gar's chest. Scanning her face, Gar noticed her expression change as she focused, and then felt the pleasantly familiar sensation of Raven's healing art diffusing through him. As before, it was stimulating in an unusual way that was both calming and energizing. He'd never been able to find words to describe it, other than that it just felt so _right_.

"I thought you said I was healed," he said quietly, distracted while he savored the strange but invigorating feeling coursing from her hand through his body.

"You are. But don't pretend you don't like it," she quipped back in her characteristic monotone, her empathic abilities reading the changeling's elation like a book. She felt Gar's mind surrender to her again, and made a mental note of her technique's secondary utility. Thoughtfully, she asked, "So is this… 'connection' what you've wanted all week?"

Gar smiled and answered, "Rae, this is _so_ much more than what I've wanted all week… _Pleeeease_ can I at least tell Cyborg?"

Ignoring his propensity for ruining the moment, the reticent girl reflected. Considering her failed attempts to feign affection, the real thing had been so effortless. Sure, she had unwittingly destroyed just about every breakable object in the room during their make-out session, but Gar wouldn't notice until she'd left, anyway. Maybe 'creepy' girls could manage half-decent relationships after all, at least when no one was watching. And the benefits were better than she'd ever admit; the feel of Gar's skin was captivating and Raven was in no rush to let it go.

As his emerald eyes stared up at her, Gar gave a euphoric sigh and said, "You know, Raven, I'm not sure all this magic stuff is fair…"

"And yet you don't seem to be complaining," she replied, her palm and fingers gliding along his chest as she worked her spell.

"Definitely not…" he said as his eyes closed. "I don't know what you did with the other Raven, but I could do this forever." He paused, as if realizing something, and Raven waited curiously for what he might say next. A few seconds went by before he opened his eyes, narrowed them suspiciously, and added, "You _are_ the real Raven right? Not one of those mini-you's that hang out in your head or something..."

"I'm me," she answered, rolling her eyes at what she hoped was a lame joke. "And no, you cannot tell Cyborg."

**End**

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><p><em>Author note: Thus concludes our look at how an introverted, emotionally-disconnected half demon might navigate feelings of attraction and intimacy. I figure if a picture is worth a thousand words, then touch is worth at least as many pictures. <em>

_Now, __**I know your first instinct**__ is going to be to ignore that text box and leave me hanging. One weekend, this had 249 NEW READERS and NO REVIEWS! But believe me, reviews mean everything to us writers and your feedback really does make my day. I'd be grateful!_

_Lastly, credit goes to the works of Sir Alwick and Xaphrin; they've shown that sometimes, physical interaction can convey so much more than dialog. Thanks to Dylan for his prepublication comments._


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